Peer Pressures of High School Glaring down at the reddish glow coming from the tip of the cigarette, I found out that I was in a peer pressure situation. Peer Pressure can be a huge problem for some young adults. It can sometimes be positive, but most of the time it¡¯s negative and destructive. Smoking is just one of the peer pressures someone can go through. Alcohol and staying out late can also be huge peer pressures in high school. I know this because I have experienced them for myself. Drinking, smoking and staying out late were constant peer pressures throughout my high school career. Looking down at the cigarette and being encouraged by my friend to take a hit off of it, I knew that smoking was not something I wanted to do at that time in my life. Although smoking wasn¡¯t a huge peer pressure for me, it can be for others. Some of my friends did give into the pressure and are now addicted to cigarettes, and wish they hadn¡¯t give in to that peer pressure in high school. I would have say that during high school, smoking was the most persistent peer pressure. It was at every party and gathering. Although it was there all the time sometimes alcohol would ¡°rear its ugly head¡± at some of the parties. Drinking was probably the most dangerous peer pressure. It was extremely illegal for an underage adult to be caught drinking during this time. I never experienced this peer pressure during high school because I didn¡¯t hang around those types of people during that time. They were the types of people who didn¡¯t think it was a ¡°party¡± unless there was alcohol involved. I have seen drinking totally deteriorate people, because it got the best of them. Some of my friends totally changed after they started drinking. At first it was just a social thing to do at parties, but then lead on to drinking during their ¡°spare time¡±. It affected their grades and their overall behavior. I do think this was the most dangerous peer pressure in high school, but there was always...

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...﻿Asch, Solomon E. “Opinions and Social Pressure.” Scientific America. 193.5 (1995): 31-35. Rpt.
in Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J.
Rosen.12th ed. New York: Pearson Inc., 2013. 655-659. Print.
McLeod, Saul. “Asch Experiment.” SimplyPsychology.org. Simply Psychology, 2008. Web. 28
August 2014.
Summary: In the article, “Opinions and Social Pressure” by Solomon E. Asch, he states that socialpressure from a majority group could influence a person to conform. Asch and his research team wanted to find out how and how much social forces constrain people’s opinions and attitudes. The researchers also wanted to find out whether or not, when confronted with an incorrect answer, individuals would conform to the group or have his own answer.
The experiment starts with seven to nine young men seated in a room. The young group of men have been told before the experiment to all agree on the correct answer and continue to say the correct answer, except one person. The last individual has no idea that the others were told to state the incorrect answers the entire time. There are two cards placed in front of the members that consist of four lines, all of different lengths. The card on the left is the line you are comparing the other three lines to on the card on the right. The members would answer which two lines are identical in order from who sat down first to who sat down...

...PeerPressure has been very controversial topic over the years. Today, the media has transformed the issue into a topic that is discussed every day. Many people are sometimes misinformed about topics because the media twist facts enough to make anyone believe what they tell them. The media has gotten the public to believe that peerpressure is all bad and only certain people deal with it, but peerpressure can be used positively or negatively depending on the situation.
Peerpressure is when a person feels pressured to do something, act a certain way to fit into a certain group of people. A fact most people don’t know is that peerpressure affects all ages including adults. Most peerpressure occurs when people are trying to impress their friends. “…Occurs when people experience implied, or expressed persuasion to adopt similar values, beliefs, and goals, or to participate in the same activities as those in the peer group.” (World of Health)
Though it can be used in a positive way as well, it all depends on how it’s being used. If a group gets good grades people in the group will want to get good grades. Hygiene can also be a positive way. A person needs to be associated with the right people to make peerpressure positive. In some states justice systems are using...

...﻿ When there is peerpressure, it tends to form cliques of friends, and when cliques form, people can have relationships and might gossip about someone who is alone He might feel pressured and stressed about their peers when they ask them to do certain things that are bad, and might have consequences. (www.aspeneducation.crchealth.com/factsheetpeerpressure/)
Many people think that peerpressure is always influencing teens defectively, but that's not true. Actually there are positive effects too. When it comes to improving learning and memory, motivation is way ahead of whatever is in second place. People will learn when they want to learn. Even in the face of bad textbooks, and bad schools, motivated students will learn. Motivation is something that energizes, directs, and sustains behavior. It gets students moving, points them in a particular direction, and keeps them going.
The interview was conducted and out of 20 respondents four of them said that motivation to learn is one of the common good effect on peerpressure. One of them said that with peerpressure, it encouraged him to learn and discover new things with his peers who are ambitious,motivated to achieve academic success, and determined to learn. Peerpressure motivates him to perform at peak levels. When colleagues know his performance and...

...Peerpressure at school
By Justin Coulson |
The school playground is often a mine field of potential social challenges for many children. While some children thrive in the playground, few are immune to at least some difficulties with their peers. This article highlights seven common peer problems your children may face at school.
Teasing and bullying
Teasing and bullying are unfortunately still common in the school yard. These issues will often not occur until after age seven or eight, and research indicates that at least three out of five sixth grade students experienced or participated in bullying in schools in New South Wales. See links below for more information.
Loneliness
Making friends is more challenging for some students than for others. Some parents become concerned if their children do not have a large number of friends. However, research indicates that the number of friends your child has is less important than the depth of the friendships. Better to have a narrow but deep pool of friends than a wide and shallow friendship circle. Good friendships take time, attention, and more time to develop. Get your children together with other kids regularly to solidify their relationships.
Ostracism
Some children will be intentionally left out of activities. There may or may not be teasing and bullying involved. This is a particular challenge, not just in the schoolyard, but also when birthday party invites...

...Walking Away From PeerPressure
It is tough to be the only one who says "no" to peerpressure, but you can do it. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do. Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm, walk away, and resist doing something when you know better.
It can really help to have at least one other peer, or friend, who is willing to say "no," too. This takes a lot of the power out of peerpressure and makes it much easier to resist. It's great to have friends with values similar to yours who will back you up when you don't want to do something.
You've probably had a parent or teacher advise you to "choose your friends wisely." Peerpressure is a big reason why they say this. If you choose friends who don't use drugs, cut class, smoke cigarettes, or lie to their parents, then you probably won't do these things either, even if other kids do. Try to help a friend who's having trouble resisting peerpressure. It can be powerful for one kid to join another by simply saying, "I'm with you — let's go."
Even if you're faced with peerpressure while you're alone, there are still things you can do. You can simply stay away from peers who pressure you to do stuff you know is...

...Peerpressure. Say those two powerful words, and they can strike fear in your heart! But add the word "positive" and you have a tool that will help kids learn...to make the best choices. Positive peerpressure. These three words pack a powerful punch -- just the kind of positive punch we want in children's lives to help them make good decisions when we're not around. It's important to understand the nature of positivepeerpressure and take action to foster its benefits.
"Peer influences are normal and necessary in our lives," says Liisa Hawes, marriage and family counselor with the Calgary Community Learning Association. She adds that our peers support our sense of self and offer us a sense of belonging. Peers begin to affect us at a young age.
"I have a 3-year-old daughter who couldn't sit still for mealtimes if it were just us," says Chris Lister, a mother and preschool teacher's aid. "But when she was in her classroom, she willingly sat with a group of her peers to eat and 'chat' in her limited vocabulary. She seemed to eat better in this setting, too."
The beneficial influence of peers continues into adulthood. If we ask ourselves why we do what we do, we'll admit that many of our choices come from the groups we hang out with -- even as adults. For example, when we go to work or church, most of us wear...

...Martin Saa
Ms. Taylor
English II Pre-AP – 4
29 October 2012
Peer-Pressure- Making the Right Choices
Everyone talks about it, but why exactly is peerpressure as bad as everyone makes it seem? Peerpressure is a fancy word for the influence your peers exert on you, and it is mostly associated with teens, as they are most susceptible to such influence. Of course it is impossible to avoid getting influenced by peers altogether, but what is dangerous is that someone stops being independent when making decisions, and starts basing then on the opinions and actions of others. Peerpressure is the leading factor for which teens start using drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, and it is the reason why many teens are having sex at such a young age, thus teens must be educated on the importance of being independent and making their own choices.
When a teen is not independent, aware of the decisions he is making, and the consequences of such decisions, it can lead to drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse. “Peerpressure has been cited as an important component in youth alcohol abuse. ‘Peer affiliation and desire for peer acceptance are hallmarks of adolescents,’ writes H. Thomas Milhorn, Jr. in Drug and Alcohol Abuse: The Authoritative Guide for Parents, Teachers, and...

...The Need for PeerPressure
Aaron C. Ainsworth
Post University
Abstract
Everyone is continuously exposed to peerpressure. Peers can influence everything from what an individual chooses to wear to whether or not they engage in drug related or other delinquent behavior. Many individuals are taught the negative effects associated with peerpressure but few are shown the importance and necessity for peerpressure. This paper addresses the necessity and need for positive peer influence in relation to self esteem, creating social relationships, and influencing change through the use of parallel options.
The Need for PeerPressure
“As the saying goes that a man is known by the company he keeps. Good company can make a man whereas bad company can ruin him. ” Sam Veda. According to Gray (2010). “Human beings are social animals.” “We develop and learn about the world around us through the filter of other people.” (pg.1) Peerpressure can be defined as the influence exerted by a peer or group on an individual to fit in with or conform to a group’s expectations by thinking, feeling, and acting in a like or approved way. There are both positive and negative responses to peerpressure; which are essential to human behavior. Everyone...